DIGIGODSCaravan/Prague: The Uneasy Road to Change
is the latest effort from the enormously talented Zack Winestine,
previously known for 1997's first rate narrative indie States of
Control. Here, Winestine follows a bike caravan as it journeys
five-hundred miles through Europe to join anti-globalism protests being
held in Prague. Along the way, the caravan manifests itself as a kind
of mobile commune, a gypsy-hippie fusion with a kind of refreshing New
Age naïvete and a conviction that's anything but naïve.

The great thing
about this doc is that it tells a great story. One need not share the
caravan's feelings about globalism, the World Bank or the IMF because
this isn't a polemic as much as an absolutely fascinating road trip
populated by real and endlessly interesting people. First rate.

Unless
we're heading off to war, opportunities to participate in history occur
rarely, but occasionally we just know that a significant event lies
ahead. The choice is ours—whether to become involved or watch from the
sidelines. And we'll never forget that decision.

Mine (so far) came in the spring of 1968 at the University of Illinois
when my hippie roommate strongly urged me to accompany him that summer
to the Democratic convention in Chicago. He told me how we'd be
sleeping in Grant Park and how cool everything would be—Peter, Paul,
and Mary expected to be there and thousands of young people having a
good time and protesting, and how they were going to parade a real
Illinois pig through the streets as a candidate for President.

As intriguing as this sounded, I ended up passing on the offer. Still
financially dependent on my parents and relatively ambivalent
politically (rooting for progressive Republican Nelson Rockefeller at
that time), all I could visualize was a mass party of pot smoking and
acid trips and inevitable confrontations with the police.

History unfolded for me on television as the police riots that fateful
summer changed American politics forever. Naturally I've some regrets
that I wasn't witnessing this on the battle lines first hand and can
now only reflect on the justifications for missing the opportunity. My
old roommate avoided the bloody clubs, but he'll forever remember the
tear gas cannisters and describe the police brutality that he
witnessed. I've got to tip my cap to anyone who willingly crosses the
Rubicon.

That's what fascinates in Zack Winestine's Caravan/Prague. Following the political ideals expressed in his 1997 States of Control,
Winestine joined 100 Utopian anarchists in late summer of 2000 to bike
500 miles from Hannover, Germany to the capital of the Czech Republic
with the mission of shutting down the International Monetary Fund and
World Bank conference. While many other groups were converging on
Prague for the IMF/WB summit, the "Money or Life" bicycle caravan
strove to be a counter-example to the secretive financial
institutions—requiring total collaboration and 100% agreement before
taking any action.

Given the events of the previous year's
economic summit in Seattle, Winestine certainly knew the risks
involved. The protests during the 1999 summit overshadowed the actual
conference in the media, so the IMF/WB and host government had girded
their loins to ensure that order be maintained, with a high probability
of violence.

Essentially a video diary of his adventures, Winestine provides a
valuable first hand account of the proceedings. The bucolic German
countryside soon develops into suspenseful thriller [sic] when various police
forces form preliminary obstacles before the most critical stage at the
Czech border. Winestine narrates his "travelogue" with insight and
humor to heighten the experience—necessary, given the subject matter
and far more effective than having some objective "Morgan Freeman"
style presentation.

The footage is fascinating, ranging from postcard perfect German
villages to the cobblestone streets of Prague that are filled with
colorful protesters and concussion grenade tossing riot police.
Winestine's political diary also ranges from upbeat optimism to
frustration to satisfaction to possible disillusionment that gives this
video diary a more profound rendering than what you'd expect on the
subject. Certainly any IMF/WB summit has the potential to make history,
and we can Google factual and political material on their proceedings
readily. But Caravan/Prague makes the whole experience a lot more human—without having to become Amnesty International poster boys ourselves.

Zack Winestine's documentary chronicles a trans-European bicycle
rally in 2000 that spanned 500 miles and ended in the Czech Republic's
capital during the World Bank and International Monetary Fund
conference. Not surprisingly, the convergence of bicyclists and the
economists was no accident: the purpose of the caravan was to gather as
many bike-loving/World Bank-and-IMF-hating people as possible for noisy
demonstrations designed to shut down the conference. Needless to say,
the Prague police weren't entirely pleased to have this
political-demonstration-on-wheels disrupting their city while the
world's media was watching.

Caravan/Prague is essentially Winestine's video diary of this bizarre
odyssey (the fact that he rode the entire distance while filming the
event is a tribute to both his athletic and cinematic abilities), and
even if you don't share his political viewpoints, it's hard not to
admire the amazing effort he put into this entertaining and eccentric
production. DVD extras include the short film "Quebec: At the Wall,"
detailing a similar 2001 protest at a conference for the Free Trade
Area of the Americas. Recommended.

In September 2000, American filmmaker Zack Winestine
joined an
anarchist bicycle caravan for a 500-mile ride from Hanover, Germany to
Prague, Czech Republic, where thousands of protesters from around the
world were converging to demonstrate against - and possibly shut down -
an International Monetary Fund and World Bank summit. The
goal
was to create a mobile utopian community which would be a living
counter-example to the values of those powerful financial institutions.

The resulting documentary is an astute exploration of group dynamics,
improvised tactics, and the low tolerance for dissent expressed by the
forces of globalization. While the film is not expressly
focused
on automobile culture, it will nonetheless be of interest to Carbusters
readers for its intimate portrayal of a social movement, its revealing
insights into consensus building, and the vivid lesson in how authority
reacts when it perceives a threat to the status quo.

To see freedom of expression violently suppressed in the streets of
Prague only 11 years after the Velvet Revolution is a solemn reminder
that the struggle for human rights is ongoing. Independent
productions such as this - as eyewitness testimony, as historical
document, as call to action - are vital tools in that struggle.

Caravan
Prague is an affecting, effective piece of documentary filmmaking. It
documents the progress of a bike caravan moving five hundred miles
across Europe, from Hannover, Germany to Prague, The Czech Republic.
The purpose of the journey, in which over a hundred people from various
countries participated, was to bring focus on the theme "Money or Life"
as they cycled to Prague to join other activists attending a protest of
the policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank in
2000.

As background, it should be noted that the Prague protest was
viewed
the participating activists as an appropriate follow-up to the previous
year's Seattle, Washington, USA protests.
The Seattle protest actually overshadowed the proceedings of the World
Trade Organization (WTO,) which the activists had come to address, in
most international press outlets. The massive numbers of citizens from
various countries and walks of life in Seattle in 1999 brought to many
people's attention around the world the issues of economic
globalization and the lack of transparency in the policy-making
processes of many international economic organizations.

Thus, a meeting of the IMF and
World Bank representatives would be a flashpoint in the push for a
dialogue and the reformation of these organizations.

The theme of the Caravan, "Money or Life," was meant to
present an
alternate example to the policies of these two organizations. The
hundred-plus young people from Europe and North America participating
in the caravan had set themselves the goal of establishing a rolling
utopian community where all decisions were established on a consensus
basis. Meanwhile, the German and Czech police authorities were
committed to warding off another Seattle.

A constantly moving action, with people camping out or
sleeping in
squats as they proceeded, because they had little money, presented a
special challenge for police authorities. Ironically, we are thus
presented with two caravans, that of activists and that of the police
trying to constantly monitor them. This presents Winestine with
humorous footage as the two caravans wend their way through some of
Germany's most beautiful countryside.

The entire, feature-length documentary is seen from
Winestine's eye
and he provides narration. He takes us inside his head and through his
special journey of adventure, self-discovery and humor in an especially
optimistic voice that most viewers will empathize with, I predict. He
comes across as youthful, intelligent and engaging, still exploring
options for bringing about a better world.

Of course cycling has its own rhythms and that too comes
through in
the film. As said, the German countryside he shares with us is postcard
beautiful. The interactions between the members of caravan itself run
the gamut from slapstick to argumentative.

I originally watched Caravan/Prague two weeks ago but wanted
to
screen it one more time before composing a review of Zach Winestine's
wonderful film because I felt I could not do it justice without going
back and savoring the work again. My bad because the film was released
on DVD by Cinema Libre
Studio on August 14. I'm days behind the curve but you don't have to be.

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings attract
considerable attention no matter what city around the world they are
held. In more open societies, the protests surrounding these meetings
can get rather intense, as both sides of the debate deploy the latest
tactics to disrupt the other. Caravan/Prague
documents a bicycle caravan which travels 500 miles across Europe to
the 2000 meetings. The first-hand account of this journey and the
troubles along the way by Zack Winestine
gives a solid view of the social/political movement against the IMF/WB
policies and the community formed around said resistance.

While it is easy for some to write off a film like Caravan/Prague as just another piece of riot porn,
there is more to it than the ever-present establishment/counterculture,
police/protester dichotomy. This film does a good job of showing the
human side of the anti-globalization movement and the inner dialogue
that exists along the way. It captures the sense of energy felt in
large scale gatherings of resistance. The story of the bicycle caravan
and the struggles of crossing multiple European borders lends a unique
perspective to the entire genre.

While the vocabulary and actions on the ground have changed since
Caravan/Prague was shot, the film is relevant as both history and
inspiration. Whether or not one agrees with the particular message
within, the community solidarity and willingness to stand up for one’s
beliefs that is displayed is refreshing.